Right now my dilemma is this: do I look for teaching jobs (think I would like to do that eventually, maybe right now but not necessarily) or do I look for something closer to what I have now, but better?

Originally Posted by meegs

Meegs, what kind of teaching job would you eventually like and what field are you in? Being a teacher myself, naturally I'm curious...

Originally Posted by SweetPickles

Current field: publishing. Would like to teach at a two-year college. That's what my current internship is right now. Yes, I am taking classes, doing an internship and working full-time--I am insane. To cut an extremely long story short, right now my choices are:

1. Look for full-time teaching job now. Tenure-track jobs are hard to find, and I'd have to be open to moving to the job for at least the first few years. I don't want to move--that's the main drawback of this plan.

2. Keep my current job or find a new job and adjunct for a few years to get some experience and increase my chances of finding a teaching job w/o moving. Drawback: at least two more years of an insane schedule similar to the one I've endured for the last two years. Sooner or later I have to start having a life.

3. Stick w/ something closer to my current job and keep the teaching thing in my back pocket for a little while.

Decisions, decisions!

I did finally get a call back from that other job. I have an interview.

Originally Posted by meegs

Congrats!

I'm in the English field too. If you want to go into CC teaching in that discipline, I would recommend trying to get some experience teaching at one of the local schools before thinking of a full-on academic job search. Obviously right now your schedule doesn't sound like this is an option (I sympathize: I work full-time and teach 2 grad classes and serve on a bunch of MFA thesis committees!), but maybe down the road you could fit in a class or two. Teaching as an adjunct will really improve your chances (either with a local school or for future out-of-area schools you'd apply to) if/when you make the transition to looking for more permanent teaching work. This experience I think is especially important if your ultimate goal is to teach in a 2-year school; they really want to see that you've got experience in an institution that focuses on the CC goals/mission.

Sadly, though, the academic job market is just bleak, bleak bleak, no matter what your field. And so fiercely competitive. If you want to talk any more about any of this, feel free to PM me...